Meikyuu
by elarielf
Summary: Nine years after Zero Requiem, a tired Suzaku is lured to a maze in a deserted area. Nine years before Zero Requiem, Lelouch finds himself in a similar predicament. Time and space become mutable as they both roam the maze, searching for an exit. Maybe.
1. Nine TwentySeven

Zero stepped out of the nondescript Sutherland, looking blandly over the equally nondescript landscape surrounding him. There was no doubt that these were the coordinates for the meeting but, as far as he could tell, he was the only person within miles. And there wasn't a whole lot of uncertainty to that assertion – the area wasn't just deserted, it was completely barren – a flat expanse of desert surrounded only by the pasty blue hue from horizon to horizon and the occasional wisp of distant cloud at the very edge of the skyline.

It wasn't windy, but every single movement of air, no matter how gentle, threw dust and sand up against both Zero and the Sutherland. It was a good thing his outfit ("Costume." "_Uniform_.") covered him from head to toe, although all the black leather and velvet and silk were starting to overheat his body in the noonday sun. If he stayed here too long, he might start getting heatstroke and the Sutherland's joints would lock up from the sand and he'd either have to radio for a rescue or…

No, he'd have to radio in. Even if he wanted to try his chances walking, he would be prevented from doing so. Shame was something Zero no longer had the luxury to avoid if the alternative meant his death.

His communicator chirped, drawing him out of his maudlin thoughts. That had been happening more and more often lately which was annoying – existential crises were for teens and fortysomethings. He should have been full of confidence – like he had been the first few years… "Yes?"

There was a crackle of static – likely intentional as even the most uneducated and inexperienced users could manage a simple two-way conversation. "Are you there yet?"

It had been nearly a full decade, and that voice still somehow grated and brought back every memory of that summer, taking over the world for its own damn good. "I just arrived." It wasn't like her to call if she was running late and it didn't take a genius (fortunately) to figure out that… "I take it you're not coming."

"No. It's a set-up." C.C.'s bland voice held a small amount of amusement in it. Which was a nice change from the last time Zero had heard it as she left Pendragon with nothing but a faint sad smile and a ridiculous hat. The years must have treated her well. They seemed to have nurtured her passive-aggressive nature, that was for sure. "Not my doing, however."

"Then what?" Zero considered the risks and the odds and didn't immediately return to his Knightmare and leave the area. As odd as it was, after everything they'd been through, he trusted C.C. in a way.

There was a long pause. Then C.C.'s voice returned, the warm tinge of amusement gone. "Do you have any regrets?"

"What?" C.C. didn't answer, not that Zero really expected her to. He shrugged. "No. None."

"…and does Suzaku Kururugi?"

"I doubt it; he's dead." Zero allowed the smallest trace of humour to enter his own voice, almost enjoying the banter despite having no idea as to its purpose.

"Are you lying to me, Zero?" C.C. asked, her voice as level as ever. "Not that it matters. This isn't entirely about you. It never is."

Zero scowled behind his mask, his momentary good mood gone. This was less entertaining. "State what you mean." He didn't have time for her games. Well. He did, but he hardly had the patience for them.

Rather than answer him (she almost never did) C.C. changed the topic. "Turn around." …she rarely changed the topic that suddenly and drastically. Zero snorted, but did as she said.

For a moment, all he could see was the large stone door looming up before him, like the one guarding the Ragnarok connection on Kamine Island. Then he noticed the walls leading from the door, a mixture of stone and wood and ivy and moss at least fifteen feet high. As far as he could see, the walls stretched from horizon to horizon. The exotic sound of birds that Zero had never heard before and _strongly _doubted were native to this desolate region called from the other side of the wall, as well as the roar of what was possibly a lion. Zero blinked.

"That… wasn't there before."

"You always did like to state the obvious. 'You killed Euphie', 'that wasn't there before', 'C.C., you're standing on my foot'…"

Zero was only partially listening. He took a step back and took in the entirety of the giant edifice which had just suddenly appeared out of nowhere. For a moment, he suspected _geass_ as the cause, before ruling it out. _Geass_ was a powerful tool, but even it couldn't create something out of nothing. And this was a pretty impressive something. It wasn't just a door and a long wall, it looked like a maze. He sniffed the air, breathing deeply as he approached the door again. Even through his mask, he could smell fresh running water and plants and animals and _life_.

"…really, it's like you need to recite a running commentary of your life."

Between the mysterious sudden appearance of the seemingly infinitely large wall and C.C.'s pointless drivel, Zero cut to the chase. "What am I supposed to do?"

C.C.'s voice held a warm affection this time. "That's why you're my… well, not my favourite, but… Touch the wall." Zero did as she said. The wall felt cool and rough, even in the hot sun and as Suzaku pressed against a vine, he could feel its healthy sponginess, even in the dry heat. Other than that, nothing happened. He slid over to the doorway, fingertips becoming fingers becoming his whole palm pressing against the stone, and even tracing directly over the mystical sigil etched into it. He still felt nothing but the cool sensation of stone that had sat for centuries in shade.

"…take the glove off, idiot."

Zero removed his glove and reached out with Suzaku's pale, trembling hand.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Lelouch shivered, not with cold, but with fear as the sound of another round of bombs landed in the near distance. It felt like they were getting closer each day – encroaching on his little peaceful world more and more… it had barely been a week since Britannia first started its invasion of Japan (since he and Suzaku had run blindly up a cliff and been greeted with the sight of the Britannian airforce covering the sky like voracious insects swarming over the backdrop of Japan's mountains) and already Lelouch could easily imagine his father looming over the small island nation, his cruel mouth and eyes narrowed with cool assessment and finding it wanting, weak.

If only there was something he could to do fight back…

But there was nothing. Lelouch was nine and powerless and cowering in a dilapidated shed given to him and his little sister out of the dubious kindness of one of the crueler men Lelouch had ever met (to whom he was _not_ related). He had nothing – no weapons, no soldiers, no strategies… and he'd overheard a rumour from one of Kururugi Genbu's visitors that Britannia was using Knightmare Frames in battle. Lelouch had no _idea_ how to counter that, even if he'd had the resources.

He didn't even have Suzaku, as the younger boy had been forbidden to stay overnight with the Britannian children since the invasion. He'd been terribly sulky about that, but Lelouch could see the wisdom in keeping the Prime Minister's son close at hand. Nunnally had taken it well, although there were moments when Lelouch could see that she withdrew into herself at the fear of losing someone else important. As much as he wanted to, Lelouch couldn't promise her that that wouldn't happen – he knew better and he never, ever wanted to lie to her. Suzaku, brash and arrogant and kind of an idiot, _did_ make that promise, however, promising to always come back and to always protect them. Nunnally had been through too much to take that at face value, but the words had clearly cheered her up and her smile had been brighter than it had been for weeks.

And Suzaku did his best to keep that promise, at least. He was still allowed to visit Lelouch and Nunnally during the day, even if that visiting time was becoming shortened and occasionally supervised, and he tried to bring something new and interesting every time to cheer Nunnally up. He'd even kept his word about protecting them, defending them against one of his father's visitors who suggested housing the royal siblings more… _strategically_. Even apart from the fact that Lelouch firmly believed their father didn't care a thing for them, the image of hiding behind children was repugnant enough to the others that the idea was dropped. Just as well – their presence hadn't stopped Britannia from invading, and it wouldn't likely do much to affect the outcome in any other way either.

But it wasn't just toys and trinkets and Suzaku's big mouth. The main thing he offered was his presence, his company. The fact that their nations could be at war, and yet Suzaku never had a cruel word for either of them meant a lot to Lelouch.

Sometimes, when Nunnally was otherwise occupied, Lelouch and Suzaku managed to sneak away from their guards. That happened less and less often, though. And never for long – the idea of Nunnally surrounded by people who didn't care for her like he and Suzaku did never sat well with Lelouch.

Of course, neither did all this bombing and secrecy.

Lelouch peaked out the window at the main house. It was close enough that he could clearly see Genbu's study still lit, as well as the living room where shadows moved against the windows, late-night visitors to the Prime Minister. Suzaku's room was pitch black. He was probably asleep. Still, the sight of Japanese men gathered together to plan a strategy to defend against Britannia was heartening to Lelouch. There were some brilliant military minds gathered in there. Maybe _they _would find a way to fight against Britannia. Lelouch's gaze narrowed as the shadows in the Prime Minister's study shifted, as if someone had opened a door but either hadn't gone through or were too small to be silhouetted against the window…

Another sound, this one much closer but less violent startled Lelouch from his thoughts. It wasn't a bomb or a gun, but it was…

He crept closer to the window once he was certain Nunnally was sleeping peacefully. At first he thought there was nothing out there, but then a flicker of movement caught his eye, a shadow within a shadow, moving fast but not unnaturally so.

…Suzaku perhaps? Had he snuck out to join them? If so, why wasn't he just coming in? It was a warm night, but even so, creeping around in the blackness wasn't Lelouch's idea of a good time.

Which was why, as he pulled on his shoes, he decided to scold Suzaku doubly hard once he caught him. Playing around like this in the daytime was one thing, but in the dark…

Lelouch had never really been afraid of the dark. He'd grown up with older siblings who had little patience for scaredy-cats and younger siblings who looked up to him. His mother had always said that there was nothing in the dark that wasn't there in the light, and that it was always the attacks that you see coming that do the most damage. She'd been gunned down in the middle of the day; proving her point. Lelouch hardly liked to think of that, but it only reinforced his utter lack of fear for the mere absence of light.

Even so, the moment he stepped out the door, he knew something was wrong and it made him uneasy. It was still dark, but the sounds were all different; exotic and frightening. Apparently, there were things in _this_ dark that hadn't been there before…


	2. Ten TwentySix

Suzaku wasn't surprised when he reappeared on the other side of the wall without walking through a doorway or even with any sort of transition. He'd been through this before. Never alone, though…

"C.C.?" He called, lifting his hand to check the communicator in his mask.

It wasn't there. Neither the communicator nor the mask. In fact, everything that marked him as Zero was gone, leaving him dressed in civilian clothes, which was pretty much the same as leaving him naked. He hadn't been anyone _but _Zero for years, and without the weight of that mask, the drag of that cape, the extra height of those impractical boots, he felt…

(_Free_) Lost. Without purpose, without meaning. Suzaku Kururugi was dead. He'd died for his sins and to atone for the world he'd helped create (and the way he'd had to create it). Zero was all that was left. To stand here without that insulating persona…

"That's just like you." A low voice snorted. "Dying for a cause you didn't believe in, for a master you hated, protecting a world that reviled you." A shape took form. "And then you became the very thing you hated. Again. How did you justify it this time? Necessity? The greater good? 'It was an accident'?" The shape gained substance. "What do you tell yourself to get to sleep at night?" The substance became fully formed. "Son?"

"Father." Suzaku breathed, his eyes wide and mouth open. "You…"

Genbu laughed. He looked exactly the same as he had the night Suzaku had killed him. He was even wearing the same clothes. At least there were no bloodstains, or at least none that showed up on the austere suit.

…he seemed shorter. Smaller. Less imposing. Suzaku was having trouble maintaining his shock and awe.

His father certainly didn't seem to notice that, though, as he attempted to loom over Suzaku. "You are a coward, Suzaku, and a disgrace. You always were – a crybaby and a wimp and a coward. Your mother's son, despite the fact that she'd died rather than have to face her humiliation. I'd hoped that Toudou would have trained that out of you, but even he failed." Genbu glowered at his son. "You are a disappointment. You were supposed to follow in my footsteps and protect Japan. Instead you betrayed her, time and time again. And for what? To protect your Britannian friends? Your foolish sense of selfish entitlement?" He sneered. "And you even failed to achieve those goals. You ruin everything you touch, Suzaku."

Suzaku swallowed. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but it wasn't this. His father had been a quietly imposing man, communicating entire ideas in a single subtle look; using few words to great effect. Suzaku couldn't remember the last time his father had spoken so much to him in a single sitting. The last conversation they'd had, Suzaku had done most of the talking until Genbu told him a child could know nothing of war, then backhanded him. Then the conversation had abruptly ended.

"Nothing to say?" His father demanded. "No passionate arguments, no sobbing pleas?" He grinned cruelly. "Ah, but you're a man of _action_ now aren't you?" A knife clattered to the ground in front of Suzaku. It, like his father, was smaller than he remembered. "Well… _act_ then!"

Suzaku bent down and picked up the dagger, turning it around in his hand. It was clean, at least. Like his father's suit, there was no trace of his father's blood on it. At least not yet.

Genbu's grin turned manic the moment Suzaku picked up the blade. "Once a traitor always a traitor." His hands were in fists, but set off to the sides, leaving his torso exposed, just as it had been on _that night_…

Suzaku looked at his father, then back at the knife, then at his father. Then he shrugged.

"As far as mindfucks go, this is pretty sad. I spent _months_ with Lelouch and his sense of humour. This? Is just pitiful." He handed the blade properly to his father, hilt first. "You're dead. Go rest."

Genbu took the dagger reflexively, looking somewhat perturbed. "You…"

"I don't have to justify myself anymore, least of all to you," Suzaku said mildly. "Like I said; you're dead. And you had a few good points – I am a crybaby and a wimp, and no matter how much I try to harden myself, that doesn't change. And I have, at one point or another, betrayed every single person on this planet. And several who are no longer alive. But." He smiled. "The world is a better place now, thanks to what Lelouch and I did. _Japan_ is a better place; not only better than Area 11, but better than it was before Britannia's invasion. Better than it was when you were in charge." He shrugged. "I don't ruin everything I touch, that's just silly. This whole thing is just silly. I don't agree with you; I've _never_ agreed with you. And you've never agreed with me. And you're dead. So." _I win_. He held out his hand. "It wasn't exactly nice to see you again, father, but… yeah. No hard feelings?"

Genbu stared at him, silent and stunned. Then, just as he'd formed, he melted away. Suzaku withdrew his hand, frowning slightly. "Now what?" Given the fact that C.C. had led him here, he was determined to keep an open mind about this place, dead fathers notwithstanding.

The sound of stone grating on stone from behind him alerted Suzaku to the opening of a passage. There weren't many other options, so Suzaku ducked under the short doorway and continued on through the maze, hoping it ended soon. And hoping that the next room gave more of a hint as to what was actually going on.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Lelouch's jaw dropped as the room he found himself in slowly lit up from an unseen light source. It was more as if the darkness was gradually withdrawing (respectfully) than the light encroaching. The first impressions Lelouch got were vague and non-specific, but as the details became clearer, he took a few unconscious steps forward and gaped at the room in which he found himself.

He'd grown up in the Ares Villa, surrounded by opulence and ostentatious wealth, but these past few months at the Kururugi shrine had made more of an impact that he'd expected. The warm richness of the room, a mixture of comfort and tasteful elegance, felt alien to him now. Impressive, yes, but the high ceiling, the wide windows, the looming furniture… none of it felt like 'home'. He was more used to the shabby rusticness of the Kururugi's shack, where he shared a single room with Nunnally…

_Nunnally_. Was she okay? Lelouch had left her alone, intending only to dash out to fetch Suzaku, but now that he'd clearly been transported somewhere else, what would happen to her? "Nunnally?"

No answer. Lelouch backed up into a smooth wall, with no sign of the door he must have come through. He was trapped and alone and… "Nunnally!"

"Yes?"

Lelouch's head snapped around towards that curious voice. It didn't really sound like Nunnally, but…

"…Nunnally?"

The young woman in the wheelchair had his father's hair and his mother's eyes (_he never thought he'd see those open again_…) but her expression was purely Nunnally, a mingled look of surprise and love. "Lelouch? You… you look just how I remembered…"

"You're _old_!" Lelouch blurted out.

Nunnally laughed, seeming just as amazed as Lelouch was. "Yes, I suppose I must seem that way. This is… how is this possible?"

Lelouch wasn't even sure what 'this' was, but this woman; with her long wavy hair and elegant dress and affectionate expression; she must be Nunnally. But… "You can see." Lelouch took a tentative step forward. "And you're _really_ old." Nunnally laughed again and her eyes danced with love and amusement. "You're so pretty. Prettier than Euphie, even."

All the humour drained out of Nunnally's face, but leaving it still warm and soft with affection. "That… that's sweet." She reached out a hand and Lelouch, well trained already in the habits of the blind, took it; despite the fact that she could clearly see. "How old are you, Lelouch?"

"I'm ten years old," Lelouch answered. "How old are you?" His eyes widened and his free hand covered his mouth in horror. "Oh, sorry… I'm not supposed to ask ladies that…" A pause and a curious expression came over his face. "But… you're not really a lady, are you? You're Nunnally."

"I am." Nunnally nodded. "I'm twenty four years old and I… I miss you, Lelouch." Her voice nearly broke at the end of that.

Lelouch immediately rushed to soothe her. "It's okay. I'm here." He looked at her, with complete sincerity. "I'll never leave you, Nunnally. I promise I'll always be with you. No matter what."

Nunnally smiled and shook her head. "You can't promise that, Lelouch. Not with all you have yet to do." She smiled and drew her young older brother in for a hug. "You were born for greatness. The man who can destroy worlds and build them anew. And someone like me… I can't stop you. And even after everything… after _everything_, I'm not sure I would if I could."

"I don't understand," Lelouch admitted grudgingly. He hated not knowing things, hated it when there was important information he didn't have. But this was Nunnally, _his_ little Nunnally. It was okay to admit that to her. She was the only person he would never lie to, the only person he'd never hide from. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that…" Nunnally searched for the right words. "You did it. You and Suzaku. You truly made the world a better place. I miss you, Lelouch, and I will always love you, but what you did may have been the only way to save the world. We have peace now, and cooperation; something inconceivable in our father's time. And everything you promised me came true – Japan is free, the old corrupt Britannia is completely changed, Euphie… the only people who remember Euphie are those who loved her. You did everything you said you would. And you refused to let anyone else pay the price." She released Lelouch and smiled at him, her face tear streaked. "You gave me the world I wanted, a better world, and I'm so proud of you, Lelouch."

Lelouch stared up at her, before gingerly reaching out and touching her cheek. "Don't cry, Nunnally. I love you. And I'd do anything to make you happy."

The sound of hinges creaking drew both their attention to a new doorway, opening into a dark hall. Nunnally smiled weakly and gave Lelouch one more quick embrace, kissing his cheek, before pushing him towards the door. "You have to go now."

Lelouch looked at her uncertainly. He knew he had to leave, felt it in an indescribable way, but… "You'll be okay?"

"I'll be fine. Be brave Lelouch. I love you."

Lelouch nodded. "I love you too." He backed out of the room, keeping Nunnally in his sight for as long as possible, before the stone shifted again, hiding her from view.


	3. Eleven TwentyFive

Suzaku groaned out loud when the he opened the next door and saw the halls that widened into an expansive outdoor passageway. One that was impressive, but recognizable – the fountains and forbidding elegance was a dead giveaway. As was the red carpet leading past those fountains and up to…

"Your Majesty."

Charles looked unimpressed. "What's an Eleven doing here?"

After dealing with _his _father, Suzaku felt more than ready to deal with Lelouch's. After all, while he'd never killed the man, he'd been more than willing to at more than one point. "My name is Suzaku Kururugi, Your Majesty." He didn't bow.

"Kururugi? Genbu's…"

"Son." Suzaku noticed (as he strolled in past the empty halls, devoid of people as it only ever had been that one time Suzaku had dragged Lelouch in front of his father) that he was dressed as the Knight of Seven now. It felt oddly appropriate, not that he felt any connection to the young man who'd worn this costume years ago and bowed to this king, handing over his best friend to get it. In fact, if anything, the outfit made Suzaku feel more out of place, like he truly didn't belong, not even in the clothes he was wearing.

Charles frowned, apparently ignoring Suzaku's strange clothes. "If I'd known Kururugi had a son I would never have sent Lelouch and Nunnally there." He peered curiously at Suzaku. "Did you ever meet my son, Suzaku Kururugi?"

"I did," Suzaku said. "He was my best friend. I've killed for him, countless times, and I would have died for him if I could have." He glossed over the number of times he'd tried to kill Lelouch, or the time he'd taken everything that Lelouch treasured away from him. And vice versa. If this Charles didn't know him, then he didn't know about that Lelouch and Zero.

Charles laughed. "Your best friend? A ten-year-old boy?"

Suzaku was beginning to develop some suspicions. "It's complicated. But… it wouldn't be inaccurate to say that I looked up to him." Suzaku did some mental math. "Also, I'm willing to bet he'd be eleven."

"He would be…" Charles scowled, clearly not impressed by some foreign boy correcting him about his own son's age. "I do hope you understand the implications of what you're saying, brat. I don't take well to mockery. Lelouch survived the invasion, and is still alive."

Suzaku nodded. "He did survive the invasion. And after, more than anything else, he hated _you_." Suzaku stepped up to the throne, surprised by his degree of anger. This man… this horrible man who'd sent his vulnerable children into a country he then proceeded to invade… this man who destroyed Lelouch's mind to set a trap for someone who'd run away from him years ago… this man who _claimed_ to love Lelouch and Nunnally, who did nothing to prevent their hard lives, who let Euphemia die, who toyed with his children's ambitions while plotting to change the entire game behind their backs… this man _dared_ to judge Suzaku for _implying _that Lelouch was dead?

Well, he might not be now, but to Suzaku, it had been years since he'd seen his friend, since Lelouch had spoken to him in hushed, commanding tones, since Lelouch's blood had run warm and thick over his gloved hands. And it was all, ultimately, _this man's_ fault.

"His hatred slowly ate away at him, but his core remained," Suzaku continued, his voice getting colder and harder with every step. "That part that lived for others; for Nunnally and for me." Suzaku stood in front of Charles. "The part that loved Euphie and Japan and hated hurting them. The part that looks back at his life and _regrets_ and is willing to atone. The part that you couldn't ruin." _Not even with your _geass.

The mockery in Charles's face softened to near fondness. "He was always a clever boy, but weak." Even in his affection, he was dismissive.

"He killed you and took your throne and ruled the entire world, and then gave it up," Suzaku said, drawing his sword, the one he'd been Knighted with in front of the entire Britannian nation, joining the Knights of the Rounds. "He will surpass you easily, then go one step further and save the world from himself." He took the sword in his hands and glared at the Emperor. "Of all the men I've served, he is the _only_ one I am proud to have followed." He shattered the sword against the throne, tossing the hilt at the seated and slightly shocked Emperor. "Wielding your sword just made me sicker. Wielding Lelouch's cleansed me."

The symbolism was not lost on Charles as he picked up the shattered sword by the blade rather than the hilt. "Cleansed in blood shed for my worthless son?" Blood dripped from his hand and as Suzaku snatched the hilt back, he saw the wound in the center of Charles's palm, the exact bird shape of a _geass_ mark.

He refused to be distracted. He lifted his head and looked Charles zi Britannia, Emperor over a third of the world and the man to whom Suzaku had willingly sworn allegiance and obeisance thrice over, in the eye.

"Unlike you," Suzaku said simply, "I love him." And Charles roared and backhanded him and…

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

"Who are you?"

The tall Chinese man who had been waiting in the empty room before Lelouch walked in looked down at him, more than merely slightly perturbed. "Who are _you_?"

Nunnally had told him to be brave. Lelouch drew himself up to his full height, ignoring the way his shirt tightened around his shoulders. "I am Lelouch vi Britannia." He bit back the rest of his title – he'd renounced it in front of his father. He was no longer a prince, perhaps, but he would _not_ cower in front of this man, no matter how many muscles or frowns or glares or… that was a lot of hair. How could _hair _be so intimidating?

The man stared at him, then shook his head. "I see you don't really change much. You've always had that confident arrogance, huh?" He knelt down. "On the other hand, you're actually kind of cute like this." He reached out a hand, as if to ruffle Lelouch's hair.

Lelouch stumbled back. "Do-don't touch me." The man had guns and a _really _imposing sword. "Stay away." It wasn't cowering if you were giving the orders. No matter that Lelouch had almost fallen over in his haste to get away.

"Fine." The man stood and loomed over Lelouch. "My name is Xingke. I'm the Empress of China's protector."

"…like her Knight?" Lelouch ventured cautiously. Growing up as his mother's son, Lelouch understood Knights. And that would explain… well, _everything _about this man.

Xingke nodded. "Very much so." His eyes narrowed at Lelouch. "And as her Knight, I will do anything to protect her and China. Do you understand what that means? What that entails?"

"Generally," Lelouch admitted – he had a decent grasp of strategy and the requirements of nobility. "But why are you here?" _And not in China, at your Empress's side_. He had a small suspicion that this Xingke fellow wasn't merely a Knight at all, but rather a much longer arm of his Empire.

"You're a child," Xingke noted, completely ignoring Lelouch's question. "Defenseless, vulnerable, and alone. Innocent and pure, but within a few short years you will be the cause of more death and despair than any other person in recorded human history."

It was hard to take at face value, but as Xingke spoke, Lelouch started shaking, unable to deny this man's complete certainty. "But… why would I do that?" He wrapped his arms around himself. "Nunnally said I made the world a better place." _Be brave_…

"Perhaps you did. Like carelessly cauterizing a wound," Xingke stated. "But you destroyed people's lives, Lelouch! _Millions _of lives. And I…" He unsheathed his sword. "I can stop you here, now, before you do any of that."

It was clear how he intended to do so.

Although wide-eyed and frightened, Lelouch didn't retreat. "Are you going to kill me?"

"If I need to." Xingke's expression and tone were firm. He seemed to be debating with himself, deciding what path to take. Clearly, he wasn't eager to kill a defenseless child, but with the certain knowledge of Lelouch's inevitable future pushing him…

Lelouch's mind filled with plans and plots and _just one moment of eye contact and_… and what? What would that accomplish? This room wasn't like the one he'd been in with Nunnally; there was no cover and nowhere to run. Just four walls with no exit and Lelouch, unarmed and facing a trained warrior. Lelouch stared at the strange man and came to a decision. "I can't stop you, can I? And I'm not going to beg, so…"

Xingke nodded. "You really _haven't_ changed, Lelouch. So full of pride and so concerned with appearances. You're already able make your execution seem like a shame when it is your life that is the travesty." He shifted his grip on the hilt and Lelouch had a split second to admire his grace before…


	4. Twelve TwentyFour

"_You failed that one_."

Suzaku blinked awake as a strangely sexless and ageless voice pointed out his fault emotionlessly. After a moment, he shrugged and sat up. There were worse things to wake up to. Like the _mawashi_ he was wearing. And nothing else. That was… random.

"How many can I fail?" He asked the empty hall.

"_You will therefore be tried_."

…whatever that meant. Suzaku looked around and saw only a large wooden doorway with "TRIAL OF STRENGTH" etched over it. Oh. Well, that was clear enough.

The door opened and suddenly the _mawashi_ made perfect sense. At the center of a noisy crowd was a _dohyo _ring and a large, faceless man. Sumo wrestling, huh? That was one martial art Suzaku had never trained in. He was vaguely aware of some of the rituals but the details were beyond him.

Well, it he was going to make a fool of himself and insult his own culture with his ignorance, he might as well get on with it.

"_Please prepare yourselves_." The sexless voice intoned from… somewhere. Suzaku shrugged and backed off, crouching in some semblance of the stance he barely remembered. The fact that his opponent had no face, and therefore no facial expression to read, was somewhat unnerving. Suzaku focused on reading his stance instead.

…his stance was pretty solid. Dammit.

"Begin."

It was over in seconds. Suzaku ducked under the man's clumsy grab and, while he was down there, physically picked up his leg and knocked him over.

"_Ashitori_!"

…there was a _name_ for that move? Suzaku snorted and stepped back. "Now what?"

His opponent disappeared and another came from the blurred and indistinct audience to take his place. This one had a face, but it was…

"…are you a gorilla?"

The gorilla roared and beat its chest. Suzaku shrugged. "Whatever." This world had never made any sense, so why expect it to start now? He crouched down and waited for the signal.

He won that match by "Tottari" – basically dragging it down with both arms wrapped around the gorilla's one arm. It only worked because he managed to catch it off balance.

Suzaku won the next by disqualification when his opponent kicked him in the chest. As he knelt on all fours, coughing and panting as he tried to get his breath back, he decided it probably wasn't worth it. Also… a kangaroo? What?

…no wonder it had been disqualified. Who expected a kangaroo to know Sumo rules? They were from _Australia_.

He defeated another man, skinny but impossibly fast, by tripping him. He'd thought that that would disqualify him, but apparently it was a legal move. Which was good, because Suzaku was still a little tender from the kangaroo kick. Maybe it bruised a rib or something.

The next match was even simpler. Frankly, Suzaku wasn't even sure what the dog was about. The moment he called out "sit!" the match was over. The dog even jumped up and gave Suzaku a friendly lick before bounding back into the crowd. Suzaku made a face before he could stop himself… he was _not_ a dog person.

The tiger was momentarily terrifying, before Suzaku realized it was really just a big cat. He flipped it over when it clamped down in his arm. It hurt a little more than when Arthur bit him, but it was just in its nature.

When the next opponent was a giant turtle, Suzaku started to get a bad feeling. Two of the four guardian gods in a row… He couldn't budge the giant thing and it barely fit in the _dohyo_ at all. Suzaku was less than an inch away from the edge when he chuckled, called himself an idiot, and calmly pushed the turtle's head down until it touched the floor. He didn't have to move the whole thing, after all…

The last opponent nailed it. The dragon. Suzaku looked at it. It looked at Suzaku. Suzaku smiled. "You kind of remind me of an old friend…"

The dragon roared and breathed out ice. Suzaku leapt back, glad that the match hadn't started yet.

"_Begin_."

_Shit_.

How was he supposed to defeat a _dragon_? It towered over him, glowing eyes piercing through him as if it could read his mind and… it really did remind him of Lelouch.

…and he'd only managed to defeat Lelouch in one way. Suzaku shook his head, called himself a suicidal idiot (because no one was there to do it for him) and threw himself at the dragon's leg, wrapping his arms around it and holding it close and _pushing_…

The dragon was powerful, but top-heavy. Suzaku was lean but fast, and using every inch of leverage he could get to tip the monster over. He felt the frigid burning of ice down his back as the dragon complained before it teetered and fell.

…just like Lelouch had.

When the dragon disappeared, so had the crowd and the ring. Suzaku was alone, dressed in a traditional _gi_, facing…

"Toudou-sensei?"

"…Suzaku-kun." Toudou looked tired but… young. "You've… grown." His tendency for unruffled understatement hadn't changed.

"I think there's a temporal disturbance built into this world," Suzaku explained. "I… honestly didn't expect to see you here." Of all the people Suzaku had met, Toudou was the first one he hadn't killed or wanted to kill.

Toudou closed his eyes and sighed. "I… I'm just glad you're alive. When you went missing… I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, Suzaku-kun. I should have… after your father…"

Suzaku shook his head. "It wasn't your fault." It felt so long ago, and his clearest memories of Toudou were more recent and _far _more pleasant. He smiled, holding out a hand. "No hard feelings?"

This time, that hand was accepted. It felt good.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Lelouch shivered. He'd never been killed before and he found that he didn't like it much. At least the Chinese man was gone – he'd been… strange. And kind of terrifying.

In the end, Lelouch decided to trust Nunnally's assessment that he had made the world a better place and continued on. For her, he'd be brave; for her he'd walk with his head held high and a stiff upper lip.

There was just one thing marring his otherwise impeccable stoic performance.

His clothes were getting smaller. Relatively.

The hallway split into two sealed paths, each with a guard. There was a plaque over the middle of the doors reading "TRIAL OF STRATEGY". Under it was a tablet with more words, harder to make out.

_One always tells the truth  
>The other always lies<br>One way leads to your goal  
>The other to your demise<em>

"…the meter sucks," Lelouch grumbled to himself. He liked riddles, but not lousy poetry. "And the answer is obvious." He turned to one of the guards. "Which door would your companion tell me to take to get out of here safely?"

"Mine, Your Highness."

"Thank you," Lelouch said politely and walked through the other door. At least there wasn't a third guard who killed travelers who asked tricksy questions. Although that made for a funnier joke.

The doorway led to a room that held only a table and a board. There was a single torch that lit the room so that it created more shadows than it cleared and a window. Lelouch noted the window and turned his attention to the small table. On the board were various chess, go, checkers, shougi, othello, and token pieces. There was also a piece of paper that fell to the floor as Lelouch approached. It read "Your move".

…every square was taken. There was nowhere to move even if Lelouch could have figured out the rules. He stared at the board for a moment, then looked through the rest of the room, searching for something else.

The window was barred and too high to reach. In two of the corners of the room, hidden in careful shadow, Lelouch found a rope and a gun.

Lelouch had never used a gun before. He picked it up and wondered it if was loaded, but had no idea how to check.

…other than the obvious. He aimed at the board and fired.

Okay. It was loaded. Lelouch stared down at the mess as soon as he recovered from the loud bang; pieces and torn and burnt board scattered all over the floor. It made about as much sense as the laid out 'game' he'd seen when he came in. He sighed waited for someone to come now that he'd refused to play their game.

No one came.

After an hour, Lelouch realized he wasn't getting hungry. Could he starve to death if no one came? Or would he just live forever, never changing, trapped here?

For some reason, that last scenario was far more terrifying.

He regretted shooting the board. At least it might have been something to do.

After another hour, Lelouch got up, tucked the gun in his pants, and dragged the table under the window. It was still too high to see out of, but if he climbed up, he could attach the rope to one of the bars and pull himself high enough to look out.

All that was there was another room, this one equally dimly lit but fully furnished, and with a door. Lelouch was most interested in that door.

He tested the strength of the bars and found that the frame was loosely pinned into the stone. He jumped down and pulled on the rope with all his might.

It wriggled, like a loose tooth, but wouldn't come free. His eyes darted over the room until they fell on the torch again. He grinned and tossed it to the floor, flinching as it went out, leaving the room in complete darkness except for the soft glow coming from the window.

…well. Failure was not an option, then.

He wrapped the rope around the hook the torch had been placed on and used the new leverage to yank the bars out of the window.

Now. How to get up there?

To Lelouch's surprise, _this time_ when he climbed up, he could reach the ledge easily, although he did tear the armpits of the sleeves of his shirt reaching to pull himself up. He scrambled through the window, and fell onto a couch.

The door opened, and Lelouch, exhausted as he was from the climb, jumped to his feet, looking for a place to hide.

The person who walked through the door had a similarly shocked expression, one that Lelouch had never expected to see on her face. "Le… louch?"

"Cornelia." Lelouch stood, his hands fisted. "Are you here to kill me too?" He was willing to fight this time, even if it was just as pointless as fighting the Chinese man would have been.

Cornelia just shook her head and snorted. "Would it help? Would it save Euphie?"

"…Euphie?" Lelouch stared. "Is she… she's not here too, is she?" He tried not to sound hopeful. Euphemia was one of the few sibling he would have _wanted _to see.

"No. She's dead." Cornelia sighed. "She's been dead for five years now."

Lelouch did the math – that was just impossible from his point in time. "You're from the future too, aren't you?" He took a tentative step forward when a horrible thought crossed his mind, given what he'd been told and the way Cornelia had looked at him. "Did _I_…"

"You did," Cornelia said. "And I… I've forgiven you Lelouch, so… there is nothing that cannot be forgiven. Remember that." She held open the door and stepped out of the way as Lelouch, feeling taller, yet lighter, walked through.

He paused. "…thank you."

Cornelia nodded brusquely, not quite meeting his eyes. Forgiven, but not forgotten. Lelouch nodded to himself. Fair enough.


	5. Thirteen TwentyThree

When Suzaku walked through the next door, into what looked like the Ashford Student Council Room, he was unsurprised to find himself in his Ashford Uniform. He braced himself for Milly or Rivalz or Kallen or Shirley (god, he'd love to see Shirley again…) or even Lelouch or Nunnally, although he doubted school would be the context he'd see them in. There were so many other more appropriate or traumatic places he could meet either Britannian sibling, after all…

None of the above were there. Instead, what Suzaku found when he entered the room was a tiny (mostly) black kitten lying on a cushion in the center of the table occasionally flicking its tiny ears, so new that its eyes were barely open.

It was. So. Cute.

Suzaku was fully aware that this was a world of traps and pitfalls and illusions, one that cared nothing for him and his emotional state. He'd suffered through confrontations he'd never imagined having, fights he'd never signed up for, the triggering of traumatic memories, even a freaking _dragon_, but… the kitten was so very, _very _cute.

It looked up at Suzaku and mewled.

Before Suzaku was even aware of moving, he was crouching in front of it, gently stroking its head with his finger and cooing complete nonsense at it. Well. Instincts were instincts.

When the kitten didn't turn into a yawning abyss of horror or cause Suzaku to question his life and decisions up to this point, Suzaku relaxed and enjoyed himself. "You are so cute. You are probably the cutest thing ever. Yes, you are. _Yesyouare._" …he was talking in a baby voice. Maybe Empress Nunnally had had a point, in her half-teasing, half-wistful way; maybe he _did_ need to interact with people more often on a non-professional level. But… kitten… so… cute…

"rrow?" The kitten asked as Suzaku's thoughts wandered, in a clear attempt to recapture his attention.

"Sorry!" Suzaku immediately returned to petting duty. He couldn't help gradually relaxing as he played with the kitten. There hadn't been any signs indicating any sort of trials, and no one else in the room, so Suzaku figured this was just what it seemed to be; a cute kitten on a table wanting pettings. That was batting at his fingers with its tiny paws. And looking up at him curiously. And licking its muzzle.

Suzaku was a little bit in love.

"I wonder if you're my reward for dealing with my father or Lelouch's." The kitten managed to capture his finger and looked up at him, crosseyed, as it tried to figure out what to do with it. "Either way, this totally makes up for it." He pulled his finger away and gently tickled the kitten's stomach, making it meow in return.

"Sorry, I don't talk cat. That's Euphie or Nunnally's job." The kitten purred curiously and Suzaku shrugged. "Well, they're Princesses. It comes with the package. You know, singing on window sills, talking to animals, waving prettily…"

"Prrt?"

"No, I don't think Lelouch would have made a good Princess. He doesn't like cats. Or singing."

"Rrrw."

"…that _is_ a good point, even if he would disagree. But still, he made a good enough Prince, and a better Emperor."

"Rrrt."

"That was on purpose, though!" Suzaku frowned. "Granted, I don't know how good he would have been had he not tried to be the worst Emperor in history, but…"

"Prrrr…"

Suzaku laughed. "Oh, fine. Just talk over me." The kitten continued purring contentedly as Suzaku's fingers found its sweet spot, looking cutely up at Suzaku with complete innocence.

It was even cute as it opened its mouth, wide enough for a yawn, and bit down on the tip of Suzaku's finger. "D'aww… just like Arthur…"

The door noisily opened to a stone hallway. Suzaku looked at it and his heart sunk. "Already?" The kitten mewled and licked him, almost as if in consolation. "Alright then." A few more strokes and Suzaku pulled himself away. "Be good." He wanted to stay and at least make sure that the kitten would be taken care of (who left a baby on a table anyways?) but he knew that the moment he left, Arthur would be returned to his proper time. "I'll see you in…" Suzaku did the math. "Four years."

As if he'd understood, the kitten gave one last meow in farewell and Suzaku stepped out the door.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Lelouch didn't recognize the room he walked into, but it looked like a conference room with a long center table and couches and a computer desk. It looked out on a vast yard and Lelouch wondered why he felt so comfortable here. He ran his hands along the table edge, trying to see if it elicited a tactile memory. Nope; just a table.

"The Student Council Room? What the…" A red-headed stranger walked in, looking perturbed, before stopping and staring at Lelouch. "What the hell!"

Ah. Another person the older Lelouch would meet that he hadn't met yet. He held out his hand, trying to hurry things along. "I'm Lelouch vi Britannia. Who are you?"

"…this is a dream. A… a nightmare. I…" The young woman glared at him as if this was his fault, blatant accusation replacing shocked surprise. "I never dream about you as a kid. I never _knew_ you as a kid. I haven't dreamed about you _at all_ in years! I'm _married_ now! Get out of my dream!"

…Lelouch would have liked to think that his older self would have had better taste. Not that the woman was unattractive (she was kind of… actually, if Lelouch had a type, she might just be…) just that she was a little… brash. Blunt. Unsubtle. _Loud_. "We're in some kind of pocket dimension," He explained coolly, watching her react to the information not by bristling, but by calming and listening. It was as if she believed whatever he said without a second thought and trusted him to be right. That kind of trust was rare, and only earned through time and trials, or a severe degree of manipulation and brainwashing. Lelouch hoped that it wasn't the latter.

In fact, the faith this woman was showing him was the kind of faith that Nunnally had in him and he'd had in his mother. And later, in Suzaku. Unfortunately, it was also the kind of faith the Britannian people had in his father. Lelouch was determined that he would earn this faith in a genuine way, redeem it by being as honest and open as possible. As far as he knew, he hadn't done anything to earn it yet, but he wouldn't betray what his future self had done to earn it. "You'll be allowed to leave once you've forgiven me or lectured me or killed me or whatever you're here to do," He continued, confident this woman, whatever her true purpose was, wasn't here to kill him. Apart from the instant trust, she didn't seem the killing type.

"Kill you?" The shock in her voice verified Lelouch's assumption. "I would never… well, okay there was that one time… and that other time… and… what are you, _twelve_?"

"I'm thirteen," Lelouch said, surprised when he realized it was the truth. "Does it really matter?"

"It does if I'm _killing_ you!" The woman exclaimed. "I don't kill kids."

…somehow, that reaction was absolutely hilarious. Lelouch laughed out loud, surprised at how good it felt. "You kill people, but not kids?"

"I… well, I used to…" The woman stammered. Lelouch laughed harder. "Stop that."

"Sorry," Lelouch said, clearly not sorry at all. "I'm sure you were a fearsome warrior."

The look in the woman's eyes changed and hardened and suddenly it wasn't so funny. "I was. I was your ace, your most trusted subordinate, until…" She shook it off. "It's in the past."

"My future," Lelouch corrected her. He paused, not sure he wanted to hear what she had to say, but intensely curious and unable to resist humoring his curiosity. "We were close?"

"Sort of," The woman said, hesitating, then holding out her hand. "Kouzuki Kallen, Knightmare pilot and your bodyguard."

"Kallen-san," Lelouch said, deliberately using her given name and watching with amusement when she let him. "My ace." He took her hand, bowing shallowly over it as if he truly was a Prince giving his honour and esteem to a valued servant and friend.

Kallen looked at him as if he was something wondrous. "You really are Lelouch, aren't you?" She snorted. "Wait'll Nunnally hears about this."

"You know Nunnally?" Suddenly this woman rose tenfold in Lelouch's estimation. "How is she?"

Kallen opened her mouth, then closed it. "She's… well… I'm sorry, Lelouch, I don't know what I can tell you and what I shouldn't…"

Lelouch frowned. "I know that I kill a lot of people. I know that there are people who want me dead." And he had some suspicions… "But I also know that Nunnally loves me." It was the one continuous and universal truth for Lelouch.

"She does," Kallen said softly, nodding but unable to meet Lelouch's eyes. "She also misses you dearly."

Lelouch nodded, his throat tight. "I'm dead, aren't I?" He'd suspected it, almost from when he'd met Nunnally, but…

"Yes."

It was one thing to suspect something and another to have it verified. "How? For how long?" Kallen hesitated. "If you're my ace, my trusted subordinate, then tell me!" She looked at him, sad and regretful, and Lelouch was suddenly furious. "_Tell me_, _Kouzuki Kallen_!" He drew himself up and stared Kallen in the eye, somehow certain that this would work, that she'd do whatever he wanted, that…

"I can't." Kallen sighed, looking older and more tired, her eyes deep and sad as she suddenly wrapped her arms around Lelouch in a hug, pressing his head to her shoulder. "I'm sorry. Even if you can know, you shouldn't. You'll know when the time is right, I promise you, Lelouch." The embrace felt entirely maternal and Lelouch realized how long it had been since he'd been so simply and tenderly held. It made him feel vaguely homesick and a little manipulated. But mostly he felt warm and he missed feeling that way.

He frowned into her shoulder, trying to hang onto his anger and failing, relaxing into her embrace despite himself. "Are all my subordinates this disobedient?"

Kallen laughed. "All your closest, most trusted ones are." She kissed his forehead. "We're a special group of people."

A door opened. Lelouch turned towards it, stepping out of Kallen's embrace. "I have to leave." There was nothing else for him here. "It was nice to meet you." He really did regret having to go.

"Yeah, it was nice… seeing you again." Kallen's eyes were soft now, with something hidden deep within them, something Lelouch couldn't recognize, but something undoubtedly warm and caring.

Lelouch took that affectionate gaze and kept it in his memories with Cornelia's forgiveness and Nunnally's good wishes.


	6. Fourteen TwentyTwo

The impressive lettering of the sign that read "TRIAL OF GRACE" in etched Japanese didn't impress Suzaku much after having to leave kitten Arthur behind. "This had better be worth it."

He was even less impressed once he passed through the doorway. "A _tea_ ceremony?" He hadn't even been to one since he was nine, and he'd hardly paid attention then. Dammit, why were these all _Japanese _challenges? Why couldn't they be things like ballroom dancing or Britannian table etiquette? Suzaku knew those…

…well. Perhaps he'd just answered his own question.

The faceless woman wasn't a surprise, after the faceless man he'd fought against. It was probably a recurring theme. She bowed to Suzaku who bowed back (stiffly and formally rather than the reflex it had once been, enough that Suzaku felt and noticed the difference) before standing aside and gesturing into the house.

"Please, enter."

Suzaku hesitated, then removed his shoes before entering and seating himself in front of the woman. He'd expected to be wearing traditional clothes, but the formal _kamishimo_, a proper _samurai's_ outfit was a little… much.

His father had owned one. Suzaku had never 'earned' his.

The faceless woman wordlessly began washing the dishes in front of Suzaku. It was clearly part of the ritual and Suzaku was just relieved that he wasn't expected to do it himself. When she started brewing the tea, Suzaku started getting antsy. He was seated in the _seiza_ position – kneeling with his calves and ankles trapped under his butt, cutting off the circulation to his feet – and he'd always hated sitting like this. His circulation was good and his feet didn't actually fall asleep, but it was just so… _boring_. Also, it wasn't actually easy to get up from this position if he was ambushed. Not that that was likely, just that… well, really at this point he'd take any excuse for any kind of distraction.

Still. This was a trial of _grace_, so Suzaku swallowed back a sigh and waited as patiently as he could as the woman stirred a certain number of times (for good luck or something, Suzaku wasn't sure he'd ever known the reasoning behind this ceremony) and turned the cup and passed it to him, head bowed.

He bowed back and reached out with both hands to accept the cup. He hesitated before sipping, turning the cup like the woman had (just in case) and tasted the tea.

Not bad. A little bland but he was more of a coffee drinker than a tea drinker in any case since he'd enlisted in the Britannian army. It was easier to get quality coffee in Britannia than decent tea.

He passed the cup back to the woman, bowing again. She took it from him and started doing the dishes again.

Wow. No wonder Britannia had conquered them if a freaking cup of tea was this inefficient.

As soon as the dishes were done, the woman stood and left. Suzaku remained in _seiza_ waiting for a door to open or a signal or some sort.

Nothing.

As he waited, however, Suzaku took a moment to reflect on his thoughts since coming in. Sure, he was a little peeved at having to leave the Arthur kitten so soon, but… he'd been completely discourteous (in thought, if not in deed) from the moment he stepped in. And that dig about Britannia conquering Japan…

…what the hell? Normally, even as little as Suzaku felt a part of the Japanese culture, either as an Honorary Britannian or as Zero, he'd always had tremendous respect for it. Even admiration and gratitude – it had been the discipline that Toudou had hammered into him at a young age that had allowed him to survive after parting with Lelouch and Nunnally and it had been the desperate love of his country and countrymen that had kept Suzaku _alive _in the military when so many had died and he had wanted to so badly.

This was ridiculous. Just because this wasn't _real_ didn't mean that Suzaku had to be disrespectful. If nothing else, it was a reflection of how he felt about the nation he'd treasured as a child. He felt a little sick with himself.

The sound of a _shoji_ sliding closed brought Suzaku's attention back to the present. He looked up, knowing full well that his face reflected the miserable shame he was feeling. He could practically see it reflected in the eyes of the old man who walked in.

Kirihara, alive and… well, still old, sat beside him. "Feel better, Suzaku-kun?"

"Not really, Kirihara-san," Suzaku answered. The man had died the same day as Euphemia and that memory was the last thing Suzaku needed right now, as full of self-disgust as he was.

Kirihara laughed. "Don't worry about it. Things come and go. Beauty and happiness are what they are _because_ they're transient. Japan fell. It rose again. You made it happen. You are a true son of Japan, no matter how many ceremonies you flub."

"… thanks," Suzaku said wryly, a little surprised at how much that helped. "I… I really appreciate it." He frowned, all the others had been from the past. "Hey, how do you know…

Kirihara smiled and tapped his nose. "This is a special place, Suzaku-kun. A place of grace. Don't expect any of the others to be like this." He rose, his old bones creaking. "Ah, it's nice to see you grown. I'd say you look like your father but… you don't, really."

Suzaku laughed. "Thanks again, Kirihara-san."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

"TRIAL OF INTELLIGENCE"

Well. Lelouch tried not to smirk. This wouldn't likely be a problem. The smirk slowly drained from his face as he walked through the doors into…

A classroom? After everything else the maze had presented to him it was somewhat… disappointing, if oddly appropriate in a cliché way. Still, Lelouch had the rules figured out by now, or at least a reasonable idea, and he knew that the only way to get through this was to jump through whatever figurative hoops were laid in front of him.

After a moment, he realized that he recognized his surroundings, though. This was a classroom at Ashford Academy, the high school he was supposed to start attending next year. He'd lived on the campus since the Ashfords had taken him in, and he'd just had a tour a few months ago of the interior of the high school. He could even see the lake from here…

"Mr. Lamperouge, you're late." Lelouch jumped at the sound of a disembodied teacher-voice. It was almost mostly female and held the exact tone and frequency of every disappointed, exasperated, and frustrated teacher and private tutor Lelouch had ever had. At least there wasn't an amalgam of those teachers in physical form… between the rather short and stout Mr. Ferguson and the tall and almost too skinny Miss. Davis, that would have looked… weird.

And the voice, intimidating as it was, wasn't even honest. Lelouch honestly doubted he could be late for anything if he tried in this world. Still… "My apologies. It was unavoidable." He was more than willing to concede small victories in order to secure larger ones.

"Take your seat."

Lelouch sat down, picking up the number two pencil left for him and turning over the paper.

"Fill in the bubblesheet."

There was no one else taking the test! Lelouch sighed and did as he was instructed, filling in his assumed name. His mind whirled, trying to figure out what this was really about. After all, a test. Seriously? This was just…

Lelouch sighed and started.

There were fifty questions and all of them either without a correct answer, just opinions, or ones a child could answer. Lelouch stopped worrying about trying to give the answer they wanted and just filled in what seemed closest to correct.

The teacher (Lelouch assumed, he wasn't about to look) took his paper the moment he was done and started marking it with the audible broad strokes of a red pen. Bored; Lelouch looked out the window and wondered how much trouble he'd get into if he just up and left.

…probably not worth the risk.

The sharp slap of paper on the desk cut Lelouch's musings short. Rather than a grade or numerical mark, the only thing written was LSI. Lelouch frowned.

"You are a Logical Sensory Introvert," The teacher (maybe? Lelouch still wasn't willing to look directly at it) said, writing it on the board. Oddly enough, the voice was becoming more feminine and less exasperated with time. "You think rather than feel, trust your senses rather than your instincts, and yourself rather than others." She turned and fixed Lelouch with a glare that Lelouch felt rather than saw. "You're a pragmatist. You seek end points and lose sight of the process. The only person you truly care about is yourself and you would destroy those you claim to love to gain what you want."

…that hurt Lelouch's feelings for a moment before he realized it was blatantly untrue. He would never hurt Nunnally or Suzaku, and hated the fact that his father's empire was hurting innocent people. He'd never target those innocents, rather he felt rather protective of them. The only people he'd be willing to hurt to get to his father were those who chose to follow and protect him. This was such bullshit.

"Your idea partner is an Ethical Intuitive Extrovert, your idea career is in investigative work, your element is–"

Lelouch stood up. "If this is truly a trial of intelligence, the most intelligent thing I could do is leave." He turned to go, when the teacher's voice changed to a familiar laugh.

"That's just like an LSI – so sceptical."

Lelouch turned around. "Milly?" She was older too – in her early twenties it looked like.

"Lelouch." Milly smiled. "Ah, you look so young. This was your sulking year, wasn't it?

"I'm not…" He was, Lelouch realized, in fact sulking. "Shut up."

Milly laughed. "You were such a cute kid." The cherfull teasing follow-up of _what happened_? Went unsaid but clearly understood by both of them. "Taking you and Nunnally in was probably the best thing that ever happened to me. You know, since your mother died, it was probably the only patriotic thing my family ever did."

Lelouch shook his head. "Taking in the unwanted brats of a dead commoner? How is that patriotic?"

"Because," Milly said, still smiling. "You were never unwanted." She chuckled and walked towards Lelouch. "You could never be unwanted, Lelouch." She ruffled his hair and planted a kiss on the top of his head. "Intelligent or not, sometimes you can be so stupid."

Lelouch relaxed. Older or not, Milly was still Milly. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Milly grinned. "Now; what on earth are you wearing?"

Lelouch shrugged. "I started this maze when I was nine. I grew; the clothes didn't." It was actually rather uncomfortable, despite the fact that the tightest areas of his shirt and shorts had torn from the strain.

Milly clucked her tongue. "That'll never do. C'mon, let's see what we can find…"

Lelouch followed her, a vague feeling of unease creeping up on him as she eyed him speculatively…


	7. Fifteen TwentyOne

Suzaku was not an innately superstitious person. He did not believe in premonitions or foreshadowing in the real world. It would not, however, surprise him if they existed in this realm.

He'd just been thinking about her and now…

"Oh, hello." That same sweet smile, those same bright eyes. "Are you new here?"

Suzaku nodded, unable to speak past the lump in his throat.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Euphie." Euphemia held out her hand. Suzaku only realized his was trembling when he lifted the back of her hand to his lips, pressing lightly on the soft skin there. Too familiar, as they'd just met, perhaps, but…

"Euphie…" She was just as he remembered. Well, maybe a little younger, but she'd always seemed childlike to him. Her smile was the same, that smile that had lifted him out of a cycle of depression and hopelessness… "It… it's nice to meet you too." He wondered what his face showed. Grief? Longing? The warm love and affection they'd shared before…

Euphemia giggled – whatever his face showed, it clearly pleased and charmed her. "And what's your name?"

"Suzaku," Suzaku answered. "Suzaku Kururugi, I'm…" He was wearing the uniform of her Knight, of course. How nostalgic. "At your service, Your Highness."

"Oh, pooh, you recognized me." Euphemia covered her laugh with her hand. She seemed more amused than disappointed.

"I could pretend I didn't," Suzaku offered, revelling in the ache in his chest. He drew himself up and bowed, entirely improperly and grandly, with a wrist flourish that Lelouch had taught him while he rehearsed his role as Zero. "Would you care for an escort, strange girl named Euphie?"

This time, Euphemia's laugh was loud and genuine. "Strange girl? Such flattery, good sir."

"It's Suzaku," Suzaku reminded her, taking her offered hand. It felt just as he remembered. He really wanted to hear her voice saying his name once again.

Euphemia smiled. "Suzaku." Her pronunciation was a little off, as it had been the first time they'd met, but her voice was warm and affectionate, just as he remembered. "Well… where were you planning on escorting me to, Suzaku?"

Suzaku had no idea where they were. Pendragon? Some other Britannian city? One of the Areas? "…where were you going?"

"Nowhere in particular." Euphemia's eyes softened. "I just… I was just thinking about things. Family."

"Your sister?"

Euphemia smiled. "Half-sister and half-brother. They're… it's been a while since I've seen them. Sometimes I just get melancholic and morose and wonder if they're even alive." She shook her head. "And that is _so_ unbecoming of a princess." She gave a laugh, a shakier one now, and smiled. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I told you that. It must be very odd to hear such things at a first meeting."

Suzaku shook his head. "Perhaps, but I'm honoured that you would share this with me." Euphemia, _his_ Euphemia had trusted him with her life; but neither of them had trusted the other with Lelouch's secrets. It said something that Lelouch, while never coming between them, was the one secret they held from each other. The secret that ended up destroying them.

"I'm sure they're alive." Suzaku drew Euphemia close, confident that she would either not remember this or think it a dream. "Lelouch would never let anything happen to Nunnally."

Euphemia gasped. "How did you–"

"Shh." Suzaku shook his head. "I can't tell you." It would take too long and didn't matter anyway. "But I can tell you that they're alive and well and that they…" his voice broke a little "they both miss you and love you very much." _Even Lelouch_. _Possibly especially Lelouch_.

"If you're mocking me…" Euphemia didn't sound threatening or angry; just a little hurt.

Suzaku shook his head. "I'm not. I would never. I can't tell you how I know, or even who I am to them, but I can tell you that I love them too." _As I love you._

Despite his story straining credulity and Suzaku's sudden inability to look Euphemia in the eye (_I failed you_), Euphemia seemed to believe him.

"Are they happy?"

"I don't…" That was mostly a lie. Suzaku may not have known for sure, but he had a pretty good guess. "Nunnally is. All she's ever needed to be happy is to have Lelouch at her side." _And I took him away from her_. "Lelouch… is still bitter and angry, but he's found friends and a place… he's content." _For now_. _Biding his time…_

Euphemia nodded. "I'm glad. I mean… I'm happy that they're still alive of course, but I just can't imagine…" She looked up at Suzaku. "They're not coming back, are they? Ever."

Suzaku shook his head. "Not willingly." Euphemia nodded, disappointed and almost hurt, and Suzaku could see in her face and bearing the Princess he'd adored; the one who loved her brother and sister and who'd kept their secret. This was the Euphemia who was willing to go against her beloved sister's wishes and ally herself with an enemy of her Empire because he was her brother and to make her younger sister happy. This was the Euphemia who trusted Lelouch, who wanted to help him, who wanted to work with him… and who forgave him for everything he did.

"Euphie I… I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For using you. As an excuse. I… I did everything wrong, everything you would have hated after…" She'd loved Lelouch. She'd loved Suzaku's gentle eyes and his smile and the kindness he'd worked so hard to maintain. He'd betrayed all of those after she'd died. "I'm so sorry." He remembered looming over Lelouch, full of cold rage and brokenhearted, refusing to think about her because it hurt and because he knew that she wouldn't have wanted him to do this to her brother. He'd turned his back on her, on her wishes, in that moment and acted purely selfishly.

Euphemia leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Don't be sorry, Suzaku. Just be happy." She smiled sweetly and Suzaku felt the ache in his heart, but it was a healing ache. "That's all I could ask from you."

Suzaku bowed his head, blinking back tears.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Lelouch glared. "Schneizel." The one sibling he truly feared. "What do you want?"

Schneizel cocked his head to the side. "Lelouch? Too young, but still… Zero…" His pale blue irises glowed slightly red, giving his bland expression an eerie look. "What would you have me do?"

This was all too clearly a trap. But… in this world, where time moved strangely and Lelouch gained memories from one room to another of months lived with Nunnally and Sayoko-san and Milly and others (Rivalz and Shirley and Nina…) what was the point of a trap? Unless Schneizel knew the rules and was using them to his advantage…

"Get out of my way!" It was a total bluff, one that Lelouch was entirely prepared to be called on, and one that he was just using to buy time.

Schneizel bowed and stepped aside.

It didn't help; Lelouch was still trapped in this bare room with his brother with no exit, but that didn't change the fact that Schneizel had actually done what Lelouch had ordered him to. That, almost more than anything else that had happened, unnerved Lelouch.

He peered at Schneizel carefully, trying to ascertain his brother's motives and feelings. Schneizel's perfect poker face looked back at him, waiting patiently. It was as if he was wordlessly saying 'it's your move, Lelouch' – the only thing missing was a chessboard between them. Lelouch took a deep breath.

"What do you know about this?" He demanded nervously. "I can't believe that you'd be so foolish to fall prey to this world as well."

Schneizel inclined his head. "I know nothing of this place, other than that it appears to warp time. And… possibly gender?"

Lelouch flushed. "Just 'cause I'm in a dress doesn't make me a girl." Dammit, Milly. If he'd known he was going to meet his brother he'd have put up more of a fight before letting her shove him in this dress. It wasn't just _a_ dress; it was a frilly monstrosity, with a dark blue bodice with white lacy long sleeves and neckline, that tapered down to a long flared skirt that made Lelouch look like he had hips. At least he'd fought off the makeup. "I'd rather be in your clothes."

Without another word, Schneizel started stripping.

"Wh-what are you…" The shirt, while too large, would be better than the dress, but the pants would never fit and _why was Schneizel doing this_?

"I live to serve you. Zero," Schneizel said simply. Lelouch stared and snorted incredulously. 'Zero' again…

"Just… put your clothes back on, then." Lelouch said, more confused than irritated. "It's fine." Schneizel redressed and Lelouch considered his options. "Why are you here?"

Schneizel shrugged. "I assume you had need of me." He looked around the room. "Although I can't see why."

"Well… if you could figure out a way to get out of here…"

"I'm afraid I don't have enough information to deduce that, Zero."

Lelouch sighed. "Figures. And stop calling me that." Schneizel's complete obedience was unnerving, but Lelouch was getting the odd feeling that it was genuine. Not that he wouldn't put it past his brother to play at subservience for his own amusement, but there was something about his eyes that told Lelouch that this wasn't entirely of Schneizel's genuine free will. Which somehow made his actions and attitude more likely to be real rather than a ploy.

The only question was; how could Lelouch use this to his advantage?

Lelouch mulled it over for a moment. He was trapped in an empty room with his brother who was currently compelled to obey him and answer all his questions. The only way out, according to the pattern that Lelouch had noticed, was by performing some kind of task or achieving some kind of resolution that seemed (to Lelouch) to be completely random and arbitrary. And there was no way that Schneizel, pulled from whenever he was pulled, would have any idea what that arbitrary task would be.

And all Lelouch _really_ wanted was to get out of here. Well, that and… "Schneizel… you wouldn't happen to have a sewing kit on you, would you?"

Schneizel, once again proving that they were more similar than most of their other siblings, proffered a complete needle and thread set.

Lelouch smiled and held out his arms. "Let's start with these damnable sleeves…"

As Schneizel knelt before Lelouch, fixing his clothes, Lelouch reasoned that absolute power over someone was really only a tool. A scary tool, true… the thought that he could have made Schneizel do _anything_ was a little terrifying, but a tool nonetheless. One that Lelouch respected and wielded carefully, as Schneizel took out a pair of scissors and carefully started on the skirt.

Well… maybe he didn't wield it _completely _carefully and respectably, but at least he wasn't abusing it. Much.

But he _really _wanted to be not wearing a dress anymore.


	8. Sixteen Twenty

Suzaku chose not to enter the room marked "TRIAL OF PATIENCE" immediately. Instead, he curled up outside it, staring at the wall and steadfastly not crying.

_Euphie_… every moment with her had hurt, but only because he knew it was a lie and she hadn't known him at all. He'd smiled and played the part of Suzaku, the charming rogue Knight, but it felt like a shadow of the real connection they'd shared. It might have been worth it to see her smile, to watch her face as it turned up to his, those warm eyes… it might have been. But Suzaku, now that it was over, didn't feel that it was. How could it be, when it was so short, so transient, and could never be recaptured?

He'd been vaguely searching for a way out up to this point, but now he was desperate to escape. What would they send him next – a Nunnally who hated him? Lloyd and Cecile and their disappointment? A Lelouch who… well, he and Lelouch had run the gamut; there wasn't any emotion they could feel for each other that they hadn't, at one point, already felt. Still, the thought of meeting the Lelouch after his 'betrayal', after Lelouch had come to him to beg for Nunnally's protection… Suzaku wanted out of here before it came to that.

And the only way out was through that door.

The tread of his boots dulled from his shiny cobbled Knight boots to the second-hand dull ones he'd been given at supply when he'd been declared field ready. His uniform – the grey, heavy thing that was issued to all Numbered infantrymen – sat awkwardly on his shoulders. It had never fit properly. Suzaku used to think he'd end up dying in it. He very nearly had.

The base hanger was easy to recognize, as were the unfriendly Britannian faces that glared at him. The Numbers were reviled by the Britannian soldiers and abuse was not only permitted, but encouraged by the officers and even the institution itself.

…patience, huh? Suzaku wasn't the same broken fifteen year old he'd been at his first mission, nor was he the brash young man full of arrogance he'd been at ten and eighteen. He was twenty, and had been Zero for almost two years now. Patience he could manage, but he wasn't going to passively allow the world to punish him as he had as a teen. There was a door, already open and calling to him. All he had to do was get there.

He'd do what Euphemia would have wanted (this time) and keep a level head and an aura of self-confidence and…

"Jones, Klein, Harper. You're on Eleven clean-up duty." Great. Just like this maze to take his good intentions and make them _worthless_.

Three soldiers disengaged from the group with cool sneers and converged around Suzaku. They clearly weren't planning on killing him – there was not so much as a twinge from his _geass_ – but they were, just as obviously, planning on hurting him.

If Suzaku had thought it would get him out sooner, he would have taken it. But he doubted it. "You don't want to do this," He assured the three soldiers in a cold tone as they surrounded him. Two of them hesitated, unused to such a commanding tone from what they perceived as a victim. The other just snorted.

"You mean _you_ don't want us to do this," He sneered. "Not that it matters…"

Suzaku let him land the first punch. Then he moved.

He took down the three tasked with 'clean-up duty' within seconds and dashed towards the door. The other twenty or so men attacked at once and Suzaku fell into the easy rhythm of the fight. He was actually almost enjoying this, releasing some tension and basking in the rush of adrenaline. He broke free and darted through the door, closing it behind him.

"What's an Eleven doing here?" A snide voice asked. A familiar voice, but…

"Rivalz?" he'd never heard him speak with that tone.

The boy frowned. "Who are you?"

"I…" Suzaku thought quickly. "I know Lelouch."

"Oh." Rivalz relaxed. "Didn't think he went around making friends with Numbers." There it was again, that sneering tone. "He's not here." Clearly a dismissal.

Suzaku looked around for a door. Nothing. "Um, so, I…"

"I already told you he's _not here_," Rivalz said again, impatient. "Weren't you listening?"

…the adrenaline from the fight was still flowing and Suzaku really wanted to punch him. He took a deep breath. "I can't leave."

Rivalz stared at him. "I'm not sure why you came here in the first place." He turned away, "If you can't leave, then just sit down and keep quiet."

Great. This was clearly the trial, the other bit had just been set-up. But Suzaku had sat through more awkward meetings before, for longer periods of time, and was more than able to control his knee-jerk irritation with Rivalz. It wasn't really that surprising that Rivalz was racist – when would he even have had a chance to meet anyone Japanese? It was a little disappointing, but Suzaku was able to comfort himself in that Rivalz _did_ accept him once he got to know him.

It took a while, but eventually Suzaku's patience was rewarded.

"Hey, Rivalz, I'm – oh!" A door opened and Shirley walked through. "I didn't know you were… hello! My name is Shirley." Her smile was bright and welcoming and she even held out a hand to Suzaku.

And, like with Euphemia, it didn't matter to Suzaku if they thought he was weird. Shirley was here – not dead and happy and… he stood and walked over to her and hugged her. "Hey, Shirley. It's really nice to see you."

He could almost hear Rivalz making faces behind him.

Shirley laughed nervously and patted his back. "O-okay. Nice to see you too." Suzaku was just as unsurprised at her acceptance as he'd been at Rivalz's rejection. She's always been the one who'd felt most comfortable and natural around him. He held her a moment longer before releasing her, fully aware that there were tears running down his cheeks.

Behind Shirley, the door was still open. Suzaku smiled at her one last time and walked out.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Lelouch had managed (which Schneizel's help, and _that_ had been weird) and mend his skirt it into a baggy semblance of pants and the upper part of the dress into what looked like a sleeveless blue shirt. He still wasn't sure what to make of the subservient Schneizel, but he _was_ glad that he was gone. He'd been kind of freaky.

In hindsight, Lelouch wished he'd asked about his mother's murder, but he doubted that information could cross times in any case.

Schneizel had even offered to come with him, but Lelouch had declined, unsure what his brother's true motivations were and not wanting to guard against a knife in the back as well as whatever traps might possibly lie ahead. Apparent complete obedience aside, Schneizel _was_ more than capable of playing a long game, sacrificing small things short-term for long-term gains. Lelouch wouldn't give him the opportunity, still hyperaware and looking for traps.

There weren't any. Just an imposing door labeled "TRIAL OF CONTROL". When the traps were so clearly marked, they could hardly be considered traps at all, merely obstacles. Lelouch entered the room and tried not to jump as the door slammed shut behind him.

The room was completely dark, save for a column of blue light around a tablet on an altar. As Lelouch approached, he read "A kinder, gentler world" on the tablet. No other instructions, but the implication was clear. He reached out.

It was _cold_. So cold that it burned as the moisture on his skin turned to ice and cracked. Lelouch yanked his hand back, cradling it to his chest as it slowly rewarmed. His eyes narrowed.

"Pain? Is that what this is about?" Lelouch demanded, his voice echoing in the uncaring room. "Mental pain, physical pain… is this really as simple and simplistic as torture? It _that_ what you're getting out of this, you damn sadists?"

No answer. Lelouch scowled. "Fine then!" He drew the gun he'd found before meeting Cornelia and aimed at the tablet. "Let's see what happens when I don't play."

Something stopped him. Some voice of reason or reasonableness. Or, possibly, the fact that, somehow, the tablet resonated somewhat like…

_Nunnally_.

Lelouch was frustrated and enraged enough that nothing else would have stopped him. But. Nunnally…

With a vicious curse, he shoved the gun back in his makeshift pants and thrust his hand into the icy cold light, grabbing the tablet and cradling it against his chest as he bit back whimpers. The tablet itself, strangely enough, was warm to the touch; and as Lelouch pressed his frozen hand to it, he could feel its warmth seeping into him.

Another light appeared before Lelouch had the chance to ground himself. It was red, and lit up a column and tablet reading "Revenge". Lelouch was unsurprised when it burnt (more like liquid heat than dry fire) as he yanked it out, holding it close against the other tablet as its soothing coolness took away the sting of the burn. He'd barely had to think about this one, the sensation of rage and betrayal (the way he'd felt after his father had dismissed his mother's death and Nunnally's maiming) overcoming any reluctance. The physical pain had been more than worth it to relieve that emotional feeling.

Another column, bathed in a golden light, held a tablet labeled "Forgiveness." Lelouch had no idea what it was about or any particular reason to acquire it. Also, it felt oddly like… Suzaku?

That was strange. What did Suzaku have to forgive him for? Not avenging Japan yet? Or was he supposed to forgive Suzaku? Than made even less sense, after Suzaku had rescued them from his father's compound and kept them safe as they traveled through the war-torn Japan. Still, just like the other two tablets, Lelouch wanted it and was willing to go through the pain (whatever it was) to get it.

This light was thick, like molasses. Unlike the other ones where Lelouch could limit the pain by moving fast, this one had too much resistance. And the pain this time…

There was a physical component – a sharp, stabbing pain centered on the left side of his chest, like a blade slicing clean through tissue. But worse, by far, was the emotional component. The loneliness and despair, the helplessness and frustration, the yearning to be close and understood, never quite fulfilled. Lelouch felt his eyes prick with tears, and almost stopped, almost pulled back, but…

"Forgiveness." Such an ephemeral, useless thing. And something he wanted so badly that even _this_ would be worth it if only…

_Got it_. The moment Lelouch's hand wrapped around the tablet, it disappeared, along with the other two; transforming into blue and red and golden lights and rushing into Lelouch, at the place in his chest that had felt torn open. And then…

…peace.

From somewhere far off, Lelouch heard a grudgingly grateful voice of an adult Japanese man thank him for keeping Naoto's cell alive and the Black Knights a cohesive group. It thanked him for Japan and asked his forgiveness for his betrayal. Lelouch just laughed – he was so at peace that the question of blame and forgiveness was beyond him. The man smiled and shook his head, making his odd afro wiggle amusingly.

"That's fine, in that case. I guess… good luck, then. Not that you've ever needed it."

Lelouch smiled and walked through the door and…

…his eyes narrowed as he saw who was waiting for him.


	9. Seventeen Nineteen

"Is this your doing?"

"No. But it _is_ something I can prevent," C.C. said, sauntering up to Lelouch in her typical catlike, arrogant manner. All the other encounters had been in rooms. This was the only one that happened in the maze's halls, and the only one where the subject seemed to be waiting for Lelouch. Lelouch braced himself; C.C. claimed to be an ally, but she could be capricious if she wanted

"If I chose, I can retrieve you, as you are now, to when I'm from," C.C. continued, her eyes pitying and gentle. "And there, you can fulfill our contract."

Lelouch scowled. "And what precisely_ is _that contract, C.C.? You never said exactly what you wanted from me…"

"I wanted you to grant my wish," C.C. said. "You got around it by claiming I wished to be loved and you fulfilled that, but that wasn't what I intended."

Lelouch didn't remember that. "Then what was your intention?"

"My death," C.C. said simply. Lelouch's eyes widened.

"But… you can't die." The gun sat heavily against his thigh, but he ignored it. He'd seen C.C. shot through the head, impaled on shrapnel, crashing into the ocean in a Knightmare… she _couldn't_ die.

C.C. shook her head. "I can. But, just like you, there is only one person who is allowed to kill me." She frowned slightly. "Albeit for different reasons. Honestly, your sense of aesthetics…"

"Where are you going with this?" Lelouch wasn't willing to let her ramble on about things he wouldn't know about for years, just like everyone else. This was C.C., and while it might have always been like pulling teeth with her, she tended to have useful information. "What's the point?"

"Right." C.C. smiled and drew a gun, pointing it at Lelouch's leg. "You, and your evolved _geass_, are required to end my intolerable existence. You will bear my _code_ in exchange for your _geass _and I will pass on." She cocked the gun. "We will return to Area 11 before the fall of the Black Knights and _this _time you will fulfill my true Wish."

Lelouch shook his head, laughing. "This again?" He took his own gun and pointed it at his head. "We've gone through this C.C. There's nothing you can do that will stop me from achieving what I need to achieve. Even at the cost of my own life, I'm not stopping. I need my _geass_, and I need you and your _code._ It's just that simple." Even in this maze, this strange world where nothing worked properly and there was no way to achieve his goals, Lelouch refused to give up his one advantage over his enemies. Who knew when he would meet them again?

C.C. snorted. "You're certain?"

"I am."

"And how far are you willing to go, Lelouch? To what extent are you willing to lose things, give them up one by one until you have nothing left but regrets and tainted memories?"

Lelouch cocked the gun. "I have nothing now. So there is no limit to how far I'm willing to go." Perhaps, if he pulled the trigger, he would be freed…

"Alright." C.C. tossed her gun carelessly to the side. "No more and no less than I expected, although having lived with you longer than you've lived with me does give me a bit of an advantage." She shrugged. "Come on then."

Lelouch hesitated, then lowered the gun and walked towards her. C.C. smiled. "You might as well leave that here. You won't be needing it."

Just as Lelouch had had a strange desire to acquire those tablets, he now had an equally strange desire to leave the gun. That desire made him hesitate. C.C. shook her head and took it from him. "I'm still your ally, Lelouch. 'Till death do us part."

"What do you–" Lelouch's question was cut off as the door opened and C.C. disappeared. He stepped across the threshold.

Within the span of a second, a multitude of memories rushed into Lelouch – Suzaku's betrayal at Kamine island, those months at Ashford without his memories or Nunnally, Euphemia's death, Suzaku's hatred, Suzaku finally willing to overlook the past to protect Nunnally, then what had felt like a deeper betrayal with that acceptance as bait in a trap.

And then even more. Shirley, Rolo… Suzaku standing beside him in the World of C. Suzaku demanding that he make up for what he'd done. Suzaku by his side as he took the throne; outwardly his loyal Knight, privately something more. By the time Lelouch's foot hit the ground of the room he'd slept in as Britannia's 99th Emperor, he remembered everything up to the night before his death (which would be tomorrow if everything went according to plan).

And it must have. Lelouch, apart from remembering everything that had happened up to this day, remembered everything that happened while in the Labyrinth. Nunnally's pride, Xingke's fear, Cornelia's forgiveness, Kallen's regret, Milly's affection, Schneizel's obedience, Ougi's gratitude, C.C.'s permission… Lelouch had died. Suzaku had managed to find the strength to kill him. Lelouch was surprised at the relief he felt at that. After all, Suzaku had been getting more and more reluctant as the day drew closer. He'd never refused, but he'd questioned and hesitated and…

But he'd done it. Lelouch allowed a small, proud smile to grace his face as he changed into more appropriate clothing. There was no one here, and no trials set, so it was likely…

He sat on the bed and waited.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

"…Kaguya?"

"Suzaku!" His cousin looked as surprised to see him as Suzaku felt. "It's been so long!" She jumped up from the cushion she was sitting on and flew into his arms. "So much has happened! Why are you here? Did you leave the military? Why are you still in that awful orange uniform, then? Did Zero finally convince you to join him? Isn't he wonderful?"

Too many questions to answer, but at least they were ones that gave Suzaku a good idea as to the time line – after Zero, but before Euphemia's… "He's a terrorist," He said, purely for the sake of argument, amused at how easily the retort rolled off his tongue.

Kaguya pulled away, pouting. "Freedom fighter," She corrected primly. "He's a freedom fighter. And he's fighting, at least in part, for _your_ freedom, Suzaku."

Suzaku shook his head, amused. "I wasn't aware that I was in captivity." That was more or less a complete lie, so he decided not to let Kaguya answer it. "Convince me, then, that Zero's is the true path of freedom." He sat down comfortably on another cushion and noticed the lovely tea set placed on the table between his seat and Kaguya's. Clearly, this was set up for a leisurely talk. Not that Suzaku minded… it would be nice to relax and debate the merits of Lelouch's philosophy with someone who agreed with Zero's plans, in the same 'the ends justify the means' way. Suzaku no longer held those kinds of beliefs, or the opposing point of view, because he'd come to realize that it was overly simplistic.

But he was more than willing to listen and debate. More so than before, even, since he had no emotional attachment to his argument and really quite enjoyed arguing with Kaguya just to watch her get passionate. She had always been fun to rile up.

"Well," Kaguya said brightly. "Now that the Japanese Liberation Front had been… unfortunately dispersed, the Black Knights are the central resistance group in Japan. And Zero's recruiting more and more every day." She leaned forward. "There are even rumours that Toudou-san himself is planning on joining up with him."

"Toudou-sensei, huh?" Suzaku said, still smiling. "That'd be something… but who exactly _is_ Zero? What are his true motives?"

"No one knows!" Kaguya chirped. "He's mysterious and compelling." She grinned. "He's not Japanese, obviously, but he's earned the trust and loyalty of Japanese patriots. He wants freedom and peace and tolerance, and his message is working. Kyoto's backing him up all the way and… I plan on marrying him!"

Suzaku laughed. "You don't even know who he is and yet…" Kaguya was pouting again. Suzaku patted her head. "Never change, Kaguya."

They debated for what felt like hours, with Kaguya doing most of the talking and Suzaku doing most of the tea-pouring.

Suzaku genuinely enjoyed his time with Kaguya, as they argued about the merits of Zero's plans versus using the Honorary Britannian system to change things from within. Suzaku, given that he knew how this would turn out, wasn't very passionate on his end, just arguing for the sake of giving Kaguya something to argue _against_, really. Kaguya caught on to that rather quickly and turned playful as well, describing how handsome Zero must be given his deep voice and elegant mannerisms. Suzaku couldn't help but agree on that point, before realizing that that was kind of vain in a way – even if he hadn't meant it like that.

After a while, however, he had the feeling he was being held here, prevented from moving onto the next room for no other reason than it wasn't time yet. Which… in a place that manipulated time was a little odd. Every other room had had clear goals, even those rooms not marked for a trial. All he and Kaguya were doing was chatting. If the point had been for Suzaku to explore the Black Knight's point of view, then he'd done that. If the point was making peace between himself and his only surviving relative… well, he'd done that within moments of seeing her. There seemed to be no point to this room, which was making Suzaku a little nervous.

It wasn't that the conversation or company was unpleasant, but Suzaku was getting a little anxious to leave. The sooner he made it through, the sooner he could get back to his normal life. Or. What passed for his normal life now that he was Zero (something he was not going to tell Kaguya, but something that was making the whole conversation a whole new level of amusing, especially when she regretfully informed him that she would not be able to keep their engagement as she needed to marry Zero instead).

When the door finally opened, Suzaku was grateful, even if he had enjoyed the conversation. Kaguya let him go graciously and wished him luck with a smile and a wink. As Suzaku stepped out of the room and into the hall, he noticed his uniform changing to one that he'd mocked endlessly from the moment Lelouch had designed it. He fingered the eye decoration and opened the next door, hoping to find…


	10. Eighteen

Neither spoke at first. Suzaku closed the door and Lelouch stood from the bed.

For a long time, neither moved. Lelouch's eyes were warm and grateful, Suzaku's were hopeful and affectionate.

Suzaku took a tentative step forward and Lelouch smiled. Relieved, Suzaku crossed the room in three huge paces, kneeling before his liege lord. But, because they were alone, once he was on bended knee he looked up and smiled. "Lelouch."

"Suzaku." Lelouch's voice was tender as he reached out and touched Suzaku's face. "I was… it's strange to say I was looking forward to seeing you, but… I was."

"Me too," Suzaku admitted. "There were times when I was afraid which 'you' they'd show me, but… I should have known you'd be walking this strange maze too."

Lelouch nodded. "No matter who was my enemy and who was my ally, it's always been about you and me, Suzaku. You, me, C.C., and tomorrow."

"_Zero Requiem_," Suzaku agreed. "It's finally upon us and I…" He trailed off, not wanting to admit his fears and doubt and hesitation. Lelouch already knew.

And Lelouch (who certainly _did_ know) generously changed the subject. "The maze…"

"Yes?"

Lelouch frowned. "What were your impressions?"

Suzaku frowned back, clearly irritated, but he allowed himself a moment to gather his thoughts before answering, knowing that Lelouch would appreciate as thorough an answer as he could give. "It may be related to _geass_." Lelouch raised an eyebrow in clear interest and Suzaku, encouraged, continued. "C.C. led me to it, knew when and where it would appear. But she never explained anything."

"C.C. never does." Lelouch looked at Suzaku, curious. "And you trusted her?"

"Yeah." Suzaku nodded. "I did. I think… she was probably one of the few people I would have trusted at that time. How did you get dragged into this?"

Lelouch snorted. "Following a shadow I thought was you." Suzaku grinned and Lelouch swatted playfully at him. "If you weren't such a dumb jock I would have known better than to suspect you were out in the middle of the night, skulking around."

"I'd apologize, but I'm not sorry," Suzaku said, still grinning. "I might have been tricked into this, but you just walked right on in, didn't you?"

Lelouch scowled, not really upset, but searched for a change of subject. "With whom did you speak?"

Suzaku ignored the overly formal speech, a clear symptom of Lelouch's embarrassment. "Well… Kaguya. Toudou. A whole bunch of people."

Lelouch nodded. "And? What did they think?"

"About?" Suzaku asked.

"_Zero Requiem_," Lelouch said simply, not quite as generous a reprieve from the topic as he'd intended. But it was important to know.

Suzaku looked funnily at Lelouch. "We never told them about it."

"Yes, but… surely they had _some_ reaction to it after the fact. Kaguya-_dono_ practically predicted it at one point, although she couldn't bring herself to consider the thought that I'd allow myself to die to atone for my sins."

"After the…" Suzaku's strange look didn't change. "As far as Kaguya knew, you were an up-and-coming terrorist leader." He allowed a small smirk. "Sorry, freedom fighter. And Toudou never mentioned you at all."

Lelouch frowned. "Who else did you meet?"

"My father." Lelouch made a face. "And yours." The face grew even more disgusted and Suzaku grinned. "But I also saw Euphie and Shirley and Rivalz…"

"Euphie?" Lelouch looked at him, alarmed. "But she's dead. So is Shirley." He paused and thought about that. "And so are our fathers, of course. How…"

Suzaku shrugged. "The time thing… I figured it out – I met my father before he was killed, and your father just after the invasion of Japan, and Arthur as a kitten… for every year after now, I saw people that many years before now."

"…that's the opposite of me," Lelouch said thoughtfully. "So. Mirror passages as opposed to parallel. Interesting."

"I kind of hate it when you say things like that," Suzaku said with a warm smirk. Lelouch laughed. "How about you?"

"I saw Nunnally, grown up," Lelouch said wistfully. "She looked wonderful. And Kallen was married, and Schneizel…" Lelouch laughed. "Schneizel was _geassed_ and that really confused me." He sighed. "It works, Suzaku. _Zero Requiem_ works. What's it like?" Lelouch had heard a great many impressions of the world after his death, but he trusted Suzaku to tell him the truest one.

Suzaku frowned and shook his head slowly. "I don't know."

"…what?"

"I don't know. I can't remember anything that happens after today, except what happened in the maze." He sounded unhappy. "I remember being older, because that happened in here, but I can't remember anything except what I said…" He remembered telling his father and Lelouch's that the world was a better place due to him and Lelouch, but… "I think it worked, I _said _it worked, but I can't remember how or how well." He had vague impressions; Nunnally as a wonderful Empress, Kaguya as the heart and voice of the U.F.N., C.C. as the annoying witch who happened to be the only person who understood Suzaku and what it was like to give up someone you loved at his own wish and be unable to fulfill your own wish to follow him…

"Oh. That's too bad. I wanted to hear about it," Lelouch said, sounding genuinely disappointed, but hardly heartbroken; and the crystaline formation of vague memories shattered within Suzaku's mind. Shaken, he frowned as a thought occurred to him, one that was about the future they could possibly change.

"If we're here…"

"Hmm?"

"If we're here," Suzaku repeated slowly, as if tasting the words for their truth, "we can't go through with it. _Zero Requiem_, I mean."

Lelouch frowned, rather sick of rehashing this same argument time and time again. It was unfair of Suzaku to force him to _advocate_ for his own death. "Suzaku, don't…"

"Just think about it, Lelouch!" Suzaku insisted, his eyes bright with hope rather than with the feverish desperation with which he usually argued. "We can stay here together, just the two of us and nothing will change! Time doesn't move properly here – or another Suzaku will kill another Lelouch and everything will work out fine and we can stay here. Together." He looked pleadingly at Lelouch who just shook his head.

"We can't abdicate our responsibilities like that. After everything… after Euphie…"

"You didn't kill her," Suzaku insisted. "You've been in this maze the whole time. It was another Lelouch who did that… you don't have to die, Lelouch. Please…"

_Find another way_… the words echoed between them, unsaid. Perhaps this was the other way.

Lelouch looked away. There were numerous flaws in Suzaku's logic. He could feel the _geass_ working within him, could clearly remember the stomach-churning fear after accidentally using it on Euphemia, could still hear the sound of the shot that felled her. But… He didn't want to die. He was scared and a little angry that it had to happen, but he'd resigned himself to it. But if he could… in this timeless world…

"Okay Suzaku," he said softly. "We'll stay." And Suzaku smiled in relief and even reached out to embrace Lelouch his arms open and inviting and…

There was a knock at the door. "Your Majesty?"

It was Jeremiah. Suzaku froze and Lelouch frowned. "…yes?"

"It is time, Your Majesty."

Birdsong and the gentle morning light streaming through the windows, as well as the distant sound of the daily bustle of castle life, made them realize that they were back. Had been since Lelouch's agreement to stay, almost as if that had been the trigger necessary to allow or force them to leave the labyrinth and return to reality. Either way, they were back in the real world, back where time moved forward in a linear manner, and today was _the day_.

"…but what was the _point_?" Suzaku asked, brokenhearted.

Lelouch shook his head. "I don't know. I'm sorry, Suzaku, I truly am." He kissed Suzaku's cheek gently and rose, the mask of the Emperor smoothing over his face with an expression of gentle apathy and amusement as he prepared for the day. "Come, Suzaku Kururugi, and perform your final duty as my Knight." Lelouch held out his arm, hand cocked arrogantly as he beckoned to Suzaku.

Suzaku looked at him, his expressive green eyes dark with pain and grief and disappointment. "I… it's 'Zero', Your Majesty."

The look of grateful surprise Lelouch shot him through the crack in his Emperor mask as he lowered his arm was worth it. "Of course. My apologies, Lord Zero."

Suzaku didn't bow – _Zero_ never bowed – but he inclined his head and backed out of the room to change into the last and only articles of clothing he'd ever wear in public again.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Hours and what felt like a lifetime later, Suzaku returned to the room and ripped the mask off before flinging himself to the bed, breathing in Lelouch's scent. The mask had kept him from smelling Lelouch before he died – one more thing that Suzaku already missed that he hadn't expected to. He didn't even notice C.C.'s presence before she patted his curls and sat beside him.

"Don't worry. You'll see him again."

Suzaku closed his eyes and memories, as ephemeral as moments in time, flitted away.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

AN: So! Weird story, huh? It was originally a kinkmeme fill, but I like it better without the sex, honestly.

The prompt described the rules of the labyrinth as follows:

- two emotionally connected persons find themselves in two opposite "entrances" of a "labyrinth", which consists of a series of scenes/situations/memories/places/rooms;

- the two don't know the rules of the labyrinth;

- the only way out of the labyrinth is to want to stay there;

- those who want to escape remain trapped forever;

- one person ages from room to room and the other becomes younger;

- transition between the scenarios may or may not include dying or be unexpected/random;

- of course, eventually the two meet in the center and there will something...

So that's basically the background. The trials were set up because Suzaku and Lelouch failed to transition properly after Charles/Xingke. There are two ways of actually resolving the labyrinth; one is for both of them to pass all rooms perfectly (which they didn't) and the other way (the cheating way) is for Lelouch to take C.C. up on her offer and return to the real world at the age of seventeen, one year AFTER _Zero Requiem_. He never would, wrapped up in his plots as he is.

When the labyrinth isn't resolved, everything returns to normal the day before _Zero Requiem_, and they follow through with it. Nine years later, the labyrinth reappears and the cycle begins anew.

The main themes of this fic are catharsis and resolution. As long as Lelouch has uncertainty and fear regarding his future, and as long as Suzaku has overwhelming regrets regarding his past, they can't solve the maze. But they _do_ have an infinite amount of opportunities to do so. As to what the reward might be once/if they succeed... I have my ideas regarding that, but I think I'd prefer to leave it open. XD

Thanks for reading all the way through! This one's odd, but it's one of my favourites.


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